Phil and the Angry, All-Black Wearing Weirdo
by Kaigoryu
Summary: When Dan repeatedly fails art class, his classmate Phil agrees to tutor him after school.


Dan Howell was scowling at the sky. Phil didn't know why- surely he couldn't be that bad? But Dan was angry at something, and Phil was the only person around.

"Did I do something to make you cross?" Phil asked, almost hesitantly. At 18, Phil was two years older than Dan and yet something about the younger boy made Phil feel rather intimidated.

Phil took in the 16-year-old's appearance. _Maybe it was the hair_ , Phil reckoned. Phil himself had the same haircut, but Dan wore it with such ferocity- choppy and pin-straight. Dan always wore black, and today his leather jacket, shirt and jeans were no exception. Phil felt out of place with his bright yellow shirt and turquoise backpack.

Dan's attention finally snapped from the sky back to Phil, scowl evening out and face muscles finally relaxing. Phil blinked in surprise. Dan didn't seem mad at all, now. He actually looked kind of…cute.

"Why would I be cross with you?" Dan questioned, eyebrow raised. "You agreed to help me. If anything you should be cross with _me_ for taking time out of your Friday."

Phil thought about his reply for a moment, but decided that he really didn't mind tutoring people. Art was his favorite subject, and he knew others struggled, so why not help?

"Honestly, it's no problem. I just asked because you looked angry. I figured it was me."

"Nah, you're not that bad," Dan remarked. "Not nearly as awful as some people."

"Good to know."

They walked to Dan's house in a comfortable silence.

"So, if it wasn't me, why were you mad earlier?" Phil hopped onto the sidewalk leading up to Dan's house and followed Dan to the door.

Dan slid the key into the lock. "I guess I'm just mad that I need tutoring. I wish I could draw or paint or something, but it just doesn't come naturally to me like it does for you." Phil thought that that was kind of sad. Art had been a part of his life for so long that he had forgotten that most people couldn't do the things he did every day.

"So why not quit art? It sounds like it makes you miserable." Phil tilted his head, even though Dan was in front of him and couldn't see the gesture.

Dan exhaled loudly. "Oh it does, and trust me when I say I wish I didn't have to be there. But I need a fine arts credit to graduate, and the band won't let me play piano. To top it all off, the school stopped funding the Theatre department years ago, so I can't even do the one thing I'm actually good at!"

He slammed his bag onto the large wooden table in frustration as Phil watched from the doorway. Phil shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously, starting to regret his eager-to-help attitude from earlier. It had been fun teaching everyone else who'd asked, but Dan was just so _intense._

Phil worried about what he'd do if he made Dan mad. Dan obviously had some issues with the school system, and if Phil said something wrong like he always did, Dan could probably beat him up…

Phil looked up at Dan and his muscles.

No, Dan could _definitely_ beat him up… Phil hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Are you just gonna stand in the doorway forever?" Dan asked, raising an eyebrow. He gestured to the seat next to him, and Phil silently sat down in it, scooting his chair ever so slightly to the left.

"So whatcha got?" Dan asked, resting his head on his hands.

Phil pulled out a worn-out sketchbook and a red pencil pouch from his bag. "I thought I'd show you some basic drawing stuff so that the things we learn in class will make more sense to you." Phil handed Dan a pencil and smiled encouragingly. "It's best to work from life, so just pick something and go."

Phil played with his hands for a few minutes, not even daring to look over at Dan or his work. Phil didn't want to have to talk to him anymore, but he knew he'd have to eventually.

Gathering his courage, Phil tore his eyes away from the table in front of him and onto Dan's sketch.

The drawing wasn't bad, exactly. It was just very badly proportioned. Phil thought it looked like a child had made it.

Laughter bubbled in his chest. "You drew _me_?"

"Yeah," Dan replied, and Phil thought that he sounded rather, embarrassed, or maybe even a bit shy? "You're really attractive, you know?" Dan wrung his hands nervously, looking down and away from Phil.

Phil cheeks turned pink as he smiled at him.

"Do you maybe want to, um, go out sometime…?" Dan faltered at the end, and Phil couldn't help but laugh at how freaking adorable this dork was.

"Of course," Phil replied, still giggling and beginning to lean on Dan's shoulder.

Dan was laughing now, too- a long, hyena-like laugh that made Phil feel warm and happy, and like he wanted to tutor this angry, all-black wearing weirdo forever.


End file.
